There's an App for That, and a Glossary, and Several Other FTCoE Sexual Assault Investigation Products

• NCJ Number: 251691
• Author(s): Becky Lewis
• Date Published: April 2018
• Length: 2 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: A proposal to operate the National Criminal Justice Technology Resource Center.

Annotation

This article describes a number of technological aids for sexual assault investigators that the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE) has currently available, in-process, or planned.

Abstract

In partnership with the Center for Nursing Excellence International, in November 2016 the FTCoE launched the Multidisciplinary Sexual Assault Glossary. This database has just over 3,500 terms and averages about 4,000 visitors each month. It facilitates the nationwide standardization of the meaning of terms used in communications among multidisciplinary stakeholders involved in sexual assault investigations. Another FTCoE resource that is currently in beta testing is a new phone app called the “Multidisciplinary Sexual Assault Kit Best Practices.” This app is based on a report by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) entitled, “National Best Practices for Sexual Assault Kits: A Multidisciplinary Approach.” In addition to providing access to recommendations and guidance from the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act working group, the app incorporates additional resources and links to external sites. This app features an interactive table of contents that takes the user directly to specific chapters of the NIJ report, provides direct access to the recommendations, and provides links to external resources, including the aforementioned glossary. Other FTCoE resources for sexual assault investigations due for release some time in 2018 include a resource on the impact of physical evidence in sexual assault investigations, guidance on evidence processing for “groping” cases, and the jurisdictional return on investment from processing the backlog of untested sexual assault kits. Additional FTCoE projects on sexual assault investigations planned for the future are outlined.